Rutgers-affiliated residents returned to their home on Hamilton Street near Easton Avenue sometime between 1:40 and 2:14 a.m. Saturday and discovered the place had been broken into, their belongings damaged and the gas sources inside tampered with. No one was hurt, but the discovery has triggered an investigation led by New Brunswick police, with Rutgers campus police gathering information, into what authorities are treating as a burglary, criminal mischief and attempted arson.
According to nj1015.com, the residents came home to find signs of forced entry alongside damage to their personal belongings and clear evidence that someone had messed with the home's gas sources before leaving. The station reports police are investigating all three angles at once — burglary, criminal mischief and attempted arson — though it remains unclear whether a fire was ever actually ignited or how extensive the damage turned out to be.
A separate account from Patch describes the same overnight scene: Rutgers students got home after midnight Friday to find their off-campus house broken into, items destroyed inside, and natural gas outlets tampered with. New Brunswick police are asking anyone with information to call the department's Detective Bureau at 732-745-5217.
Vehicle Break-Ins Reported the Same Night
The house wasn't the only target in the area that night. Patch's report notes two attempted car thefts and two vehicle break-ins happened between 11:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday, in Lot 711 at 33 Dudley Road and Lot 82 at the University Inn and Conference Center on Ryders Lane. It is not established whether those vehicle incidents are connected to the Hamilton Street break-in and attempted arson.
Earlier Bedroom Intrusion Rattled Campus
Earlier Bedroom Intrusion Rattled Campus The Hamilton Street case also follows a separate, earlier incident that has kept students on edge near campus. As reported by ABC7 New York, a woman affiliated with Rutgers woke up at approximately 4:45 a.m. to find an unidentified man in her bedroom at a home on Stone Street between Sicard Street and College Avenue. The intruder fled out a back door and had not been caught. Police described him as roughly 6 feet tall and 160 pounds, with short braids and wearing a dark zip-up hoodie with black pants.
It has not been established whether that intrusion is linked in any way to the Hamilton Street burglary and attempted arson. The Hamilton Street victims are affiliated with Rutgers and told police they came home to find signs of forced entry. No suspect description, arrest or charges have been released in that case, and the exact extent of the damage inside the home remains unclear.
Anyone with information has been directed to the New Brunswick Police Department's Detective Bureau.
